The following, published within an advice column in several Gannett papers, was recently brought to our attention:

“…90 percent of Web surfers use Microsoft Internet Explorer, and Web developers often optimize their sites to work best with it. Using Netscape may not prevent you from seeing a page, but it may prevent you from seeing it the way developers intended.”

A concerned developer thoughtfully wrote his local paper with a reply to that advice that points to Web standards:

“…Web developers have chosen to target the design of their Web site for Internet Explorer rather than complying with accepted Web standards, which browsers such as Netscape do a great job of adhering to.”

While it’s necessary to ensure that a site works exactly as intended in the browser with the greatest market share, the focus of the WaSP’s recent work is on helping developers to do so while also complying with standards so that all Web users can get full use from the sites they visit.

If you’re interested in better learning how to build standards-compliant sites and demonstrating to others how to do the same, this site’s Learn section will provide you with some valuable starting points for the improvement of your skills.